Dental floss holder



June 6, 1950 v c, OMAS 2,510,194

DENTAL FLOSS HOLDER Filed Nov. 12, 1946 Cmssrm L Emma.

A TTORNE y Patented June 6, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,510,194DENTAL FLOSS HOLDER, Chester L. Thomas, Denver, 0010. ApplicationNovember 12, 1946, Serial No. 709,120

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a pocket novelty which provides a combinedtooth pick and dental floss holder. The principal object of theinvention is to provide a small, neat, easily carried and easily useddevice for containing a supply of dental floss and for holding the flossin a tight, convenient position for use upon the teeth.

Another object of the invention is to combine with an efficient dentalfloss holder a tooth pick, and to so construct the device that both thefloss holder and the tooth pick will be entirely enclosed in a small,easily carried pocket box or housing when not in use.

Other objects and advantages reside in the detail construction of theinvention, which is designed for simplicity, economy, and efficiency.These will become more apparent from the following description.

In the following detailed description of the invention, reference is hadto the accompanying drawing which forms a part hereof. Like numeralsrefer to like parts in all views of the drawing and throughout thedescription.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the improved pocket novelty,illustrating the dental floss portion thereof projected ready for use;

Fig. 2 is a perspective View of the dental floss holder portion of thepocket novelty;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view thereof, illustrating the tooth pickportion projected for use; and

Fig. 4 is a horizontal cross-section through the novelty in thecompletely closed position.

The invention comprises an elongated, rectangular box It formed ofornamental metal, plastic, or other suitable material. The box containsa top, a bottom, and two sides. One end of the box is open. The otherend is closed by means of an end plate II. The sides of the box areprovided with elongated slots l2 and [3, there being one slot in eachside, respectively.

An open topped inner container 14 is slidably mounted in the box lthrough the open end thereof. The sliding movement is accomplished bymeans of a finger button l5 which projects on the exterior of the boxthrough the slot l2.

Two prongs l6 project from one extremity of the inner container and arepreferably formed by continuation of the side walls of the container, asillustrated in Fig. 2. The prongs [6 are tapered to provide relativelypointed extremities.

One of the prongs contains a receiving notch 11 in its upper edge, theother prong contains a cutting notch 18 in its lower edge. Both prongscontain tying notches [9 at their extremities.

The inner container is designed to hold a spool of dental floss, asindicated in broken line at 20. The end wall of the inner containercontains a notch 2| through which the floss is pulled from the spool 20.The extremity of the floss is then passed through the notch I1 and aboutthe tying notches 19 of one prong, thence tightly across to the tyingnotch of the other prong, thence is passed through the cutting notch l8,which is provided with a sharpened edge for severing the extremity Ofthe floss.

When desired for use, the button 15 is pushed forwardly to project theinner container, as shown in Fig. 1. This supports the tight, tied pieceof floss in convenient position to be worked between the teeth of theuser for removing foreign material. When not in use, the button i5 ispulled inwardly to enclose the entire device within the box It, as shownin Fig. 4.

A fiat, elongated, relatively thin tooth pick 22 is slidably mounted inthe box l0 alongside of the inner container 14. The pick 22 is alsoprovided with a finger button 23 which operates in the opposite slot l3.A suitable pointed extremity is formed on the pick for convenient use inremoving foreign materials from the teeth. When not in use, the pick iswithdrawn into the box through a receiving opening 24 in the end wall IIby actuation of the finger button 23, as shown in Fig. 4.

While a specific form of the improvement has been described andillustrated herein, it is desired to be understood that the same may bevaried, within the scope of the appended claim, without departing fromthe spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired securedby Letters Patent is:

A dental floss container comprising: an elongated rectangular box, oneextremity of said box being open; a drawer-like rectangular containeradapted to contain a spool of dental floss within said box and beingslidable through the open extremity of said box, the outer end of saidcontainer having an opening for the passage of said floss; prongsextending outwardly from said outer end of said container in alignmentwith each side of the latter, one extremity of said floss being extendedoutwardly through said opening and being tied between said prongs; and afinger button projecting from the drawer-like container through anelongated slot in the side of said box, said slot and said box beingsufii'ciently long to allow the container and said prongs to bewithdrawn completely into said box when said button is moved in onedirection, and to allow said prongs and a portion of said container tobe projected from said box when said button is moved in the otherdirection.

CHESTER. L. THOMAS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,882,204 Zrna Oct. 11, 19321,966,463 Rose July 1'7, 1934 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date209,566 Holland Nov. 5, 1878 215,691 Great Britain May 15, 1924 705,213France Mar. 3, 1931

